Welcome to Term 4! I hope all students and families had a relaxing break and have returned to school ready for the traditionally busy Term 4. This term is one of new beginnings and final farewells as we host the Kindergarten 2025 transition days and Year 6 embark on their last term of primary school. We look forward to the K-2 Athletics Carnival in Week 4 as well as the Creative Arts Showcase and many other end-of-year events later in the term.
I would like to welcome Mrs Sjaan Mitchell to the Stage 2 and Ben Venue team as well as all new students and their families joining us at Ben Venue this term.

SRC Fundraiser

The SRC would like to pass on their sincere gratitude to all students and families who donated to their Pyjama Day Fundraiser to raise money for World Wildlife Fund Australia's endangered species program. Thanks to our school community, we raised $622.30 for the cause. This money will help support wildlife tracking tags and on-ground surveys and will help to protect native species by supporting conservation efforts for threatened animals and their homes. For more information on the WWF's programs, visit their website.

NE Sings!

This weekend, choir students from 3-6 will perform in the biennial NE Sings! Choir Concert, involving most schools in the region. The final rehearsal will be held on Saturday 26 October at Lazenby Hall with the performance also being held in Lazenby Hall at UNE on Sunday 27 October.

Ben Venue is performing as part of Choir 2 (only). Students involved are asked to arrive on Sunday at 1:00 pm for seating, ready for the dress rehearsal at 1:30 pm. The concert is scheduled to run from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Tickets for the Choir 2 concert are sold out, however, there are still seats available for the Choir 1 concert (which does not involve Ben Venue students) being held earlier in the day. These can be purchased at www.trybooking.com/CUFFT. Choristers do not need to purchase tickets as they will be on the stage with the mass choirs.

If you have tickets to the performance, please arrive with ample time to park and find your seats. This is a large community event and will have many patrons. At the end of the performance, students must be collected from Ben Venue staff by their parent or carer.

2025 Bus Passes and school bus routes

Applications for 2025 School Travel Passes open from the beginning of Term 4, particular terms and conditions apply. Please visit https://transportnsw.info/school-travel-apply to apply online. Students must live a minimum distance from their school to be eligible for free travel on public bus services. The minimum distance varies according to the year or grade the student is enrolled in.

Parents and carers are reminded that the S332 (483) bus route currently travels through the Armidale Town Centre and is therefore accessible to members of the public. Buses that travel to Uralla are also public bus routes. For information on Edwards Bus routes and school bus timetables, please see https://edwardscoaches.com.au/school.html. For further information on the School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS), please see transportnsw.info/school-students.

2025 Kindergarten

This week, we will host the first of our four Kindergarten 2025 Transition Days and are looking forward to welcoming our new Kindergarten students to Ben Venue.

A reminder that any families who have not yet approached the school to enrol their school-aged children for 2025 should do so as a matter of urgency.

School Bytes parent app

All families are strongly encouraged to utilise the School Bytes parent app, ensuring that notifications are activated (click here for a guide).

Our use of School Bytes has allowed us to improve our communication, with more targeted notifications replacing the need for parents/carers to opt out of irrelevant categories.

2025 class placement requests - reminder

Should you have a request for your child's 2025 class placement, please email benvenue-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au, with the subject heading '2025 request'. The window in which to make requests will close at the end of Week 3. This information is taken into consideration when classes are created; however, due to the complexity of a range of dynamics and competing priorities, not all requests can be met.

Lana Howlett

Principal (relieving)

Community Notices